Mail-delivering apparatus.



F. S. WHITMOHE.

MAIL DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25. 1914.

1 ,121,4;38, Patented Dec.1'5,1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

THE NORRIS PETERS 130.. PHOTD-LJTHQ, WASH/NO TON. D. c.

P. s. WHIQTMOEE.

MAIL DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLIGATIORPILED JULY 25, 1914.

1 1 21,438, Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

FRANKLIN s. WHITMORE, or WAYNESZBORO, PENNSYLVANIA.

MAIL-DELIVERING APPARATUS.

"specificat on of Letters Patent,

' Patented n e.. 5, ie a."

Application filed Ju1y'25, 1914. Seria1No.853,217.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANKLIN S.- WHi'r- MoRE,'-a citizen of the'United States, residing at'Waynesboro, in the county of Franklin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mail-Delivery Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates riers.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a carrier of this character which is particularly applicable to rural mail delivering routes in which the delivering points j are stationed a considerable distance from a dwelling house so that the mail deposited in the carrier can be transported from the point of delivery to the dwelling house.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a carrier of this character wherein on the deposit of mail matter therein a signal will be operated to give notice'to the occupants of the house of the deposit of mail matter within the carrier, which can be readily and conveniently set in action for conveying its contents from the point of deposit to the point for the distribution thereof.-

A further object ofthe inventionis the provision of a carrier of this character where in the same is electrically driven, and its speed of travel is under the control of the user, and is readily stopped and started at terminal points of the route thereof. A still further object of the invention is the provision of a carrier of this character which enables the rapid transportation of mail matter from one point to another.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a carrier of this character which is simple in construction, reliable and efficient in operation, and inexpensive in manufacture and installation.

With these'and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, com.- bination and arrangement: of parts as will be hereinafter fully described,-illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings :Figure' 1 is a perspective view showing a dwelling house located a distance from a roadway, with the apparatus constructedin accordance with the inventioninstalled therebetweenr- Fig. 2 is to'a mail conveyer' or carrier, and more particularly tothe class i of electro-mechanically operated mail carp 3 views in thedrawings.

Referring'to the drawings in detail, the

I a vertical longitudinal sectional viewthrough the carriage or car for the mail 'matter. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view thereof. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary diagrammaticview showing theelectric system with the reversing switch and rheostat, which are adapted to be located within the dwelling house at'a'convenien't point therein. Fig. 5' is an end elevation of the carriage or car.

Similar. reference characters indicate corresponding "parts throughout the several improved apparatus is designed"particularly" for conveying mail or other matter from a post road to a residence" or dwelling house ata distance from the said road, and com' prises a'series of posts 10 which are arrangedat intervals apart between the road and the dwelling house, the said posts being. vertlcally disposed and anchored in the ground in any ordinary well-known manner. Mounted upon the said posts 10 at asuitable elevation are brackets 11' support ing suspended electric current wires'12, which extend from the post road to the dwelling house located at adistance there from, and form a'track for supporting'a carriage which is movable 'thereover, the same being hereinafter fully described.

The carriage comprises a' box-like body 13 having hinged atone end a door 14 so that access may be had thereto, the said body heing supported upon axles 15' carrying flanged wheels 16 adapted to travelrupon' the wires 12, and on the said axles 15 are fixed sprocket wheels 17 over which i is trained an endless sprocket chain '18 for the driving of the axles in unison with each other. Located within the body 13 is an electric motor 19 which is wired in any suitable manner to receive electric current from the current wires 12 through the wheelson one of the axles 15, the motorbeing connected with one of the axles through a train of reducing gears 20 so that when the saidmotor becomes active the carriage will be driven thereby.

Mounted on the door 14' is acatch 21 which'is adapted to engage a keeper 22 on the body 13'for the fastening of the door closed, while pivotally connected to the body 13 without the same is a signal flag 23, which when raised-indicates the deposit of mail- '.matter within the body, and on the lowering of the flag it is indicative of no mail matter being-wdeposited Within the body of the carrier, the said flag being both manually and electrically operatedfor signaling purposes.

Arranged within the house at a convenient point therein is an electric current pro- .ducer which in this instance comprises a series of drybatteries 24 from which lead the feed Wires 25 to the current wires 12, the same being joined thereto in any suit- Y able manner, and form the electric circuit for operating the motor 19 within the body. 13 of the carrier. 1 Arranged within the electric circuit is a pole changer or reversing switch 26, and a rheostat 27, the latter being designed to 'regulatethe electric current and I to open and close thecircuit, while-the pole changer or switch 26 reverses the current to the motor 19 for driving the car in two directions, that is to say, fromthepost road "Within the boxdike body 13 and support ed' in any suitable manner is an ordinary electromagnet 28 which is tapped onto one i lead of the motor19, and this magnet when energized actsupon an armature 29 swingingly supported within the carriage adjacent theretoand is tapped to afalse bottom 30 located within the said body 13, and is normallyheld in a raised position through the medium of a spring 31 so that the said bottom will be depressed under the weight of the contents of the body, for instance, 011

the placing of mail matter therein. The bottom 30' carries a contact 32 which is adapted to engage'a contact 33 mounted in the bottomof the body 13, and this latter contact is tapped to a brush 34 suitably supported beneath the bottom, which is arranged to sweep independent third rails 35, 36 and 36, respectively, which areinsulated from veach other .and'arranged between the main current wires 12, the rails35, 36 and 36' being connected with a return wire 37 which has arranged therein a signal bell v38 and a switch 39, the wire 37 being tapped to one of the feed wires 25, while the other feedwire 25 has tapped thereto an auxiliary feed wire 40, which is also tapped to one of the main current wires 12 so that the circuit will be closed throughwires 37 and 40 when the switch 26 is open so that on the sweeping of the brush34 over either rail the electromagnet 28 will be energized, which controls the flag 23. The pivot of the flag 23 has formed thereon a catch 41 which is adapted to engage the armature 29 to normally hold the flag in lowered position prior tov the energizing of the magnet 28, one end of the staff of the flag 23 carrying a weight 42 which-serves to automatically, lift the flag to upright position for signaling, and when the'catch 41 is engaged with the armature the flag is sustained lowered. Connected with the armature 29 isa handope'rated pull rod 43 which extends beyond one end of the mit the automatic swinging of the flag to signaling position should it be desired. The

body 13 so that the armature can be moved manually for releasing the catch 41 to perauxiliary feed wire 40 has arranged thereintom 30 is in raised position breaking the contacts 32 and 33 an audible signal will be had from the bell 38.

Inthe operation of the device, assuming that the car has reached the terminallof the track next to the roadside, the body 13 there- 9.

of engages with the springcontact 45 so that a circuit is closed for the sounding of the bell 38 to indicate the arrival of the carat such terminal tothe occupants ofl the house, it being understood of course that the 9 false bottom 30 is in raised position by reason of no weightthereon, thus the contacts 32 and 33 are out of engagement with eachother sothat the circuit cannot be. closed therethrough between the rails 36 andthe' return wire 37, so that the circuit is closed through the body of the car and the contacts 45 at the said terminals. Now, the mail'carrier opens the door 14 and introduces mail matter into the body, 13, it being 1 understood ofcourse thatthe signal at this time is in lowered position, thearmature 29 engaging the hook 41 to hold it in such position, the weight of the mail placed upon the false bottom 30 causes it to lower, bring- 1 ingthe contacts 32 and 33' into engagement with each other so that the circuitthrough the electromagnet 28 is closed for energizing the magnet which attracts the armature 29, thereby automatically releasingthe 1 flag 23, which is shifted to signaling position under the action of the weight 42'. The instant the occupants of the house receive the signal from the bell38 the switch 26is thrown to close the circuit through the main 1 wire 12, thus starting the motor 19 for pro-.

pelling the. carriage, causing it to travel to} when the car is started in its travel toward the roadside the bell 38 will not be'sounded because the circuit is opened through wires I 37 and d0 by reason of the contacts 32 and '33 being out of engagement with each other,

it being understood of course that the pole changer or reversing switch 26 is operated for changing the direction of the current for the reverse travel of the carriage.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the a accompanying drawings, it is thought that the construction and manner of operation of the device will be clearly understood, and therefore a more extended explanation has been omitted.

What is claimed is 1. An apparatus of the class described comprising a track forming an electric current convey'er, a carriage forming a depository movable over the track and having a motor arranged in circuit with said track, an electric current supply connected with the track and having arranged in the circuit therebetween a rheostat and pole changer, means for suspending the track between a post road and a dwelling house, an electrically-operated audible signaling mechanism extended from the dwelling house to the post road, and an electrically controlled visible signal supported on the carriage and ac- Copies of this patent may be obtained for tive on the deposit of mail matter within the depository.

2. An apparatus of the class described comprising a trackforming an electric current conveyer, a carriage forming a depository movable over the track and having a motor in circuit with said track, an electric.

current supply connected with the track and having arranged in the circuit therebetween a' rheostat and pole changer, a signal device on the carriage, and an electrically operated means normally holding the signal device lowered and'actuated on the placing of mail matter within the depository.

3. An apparatus of the class described comprising a track forming an electric current conveyor, a carriage forming a depository movable over the track and having a motor in circuit with said track, an electric current supply connected with the track and having arranged in the circuit therebetween a rheostat and pole changer, a signal device on the carriage, an electrically operated means normally holding the signal device lowered and actuated on the placing of mail matter within the depository and an audible signal operated on the passmg of the carriage over predetermined points in the track.

In testimony whereof I aftix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANKLIN S. WHITMORE.

' Witnesses:

W. C. ERNST,

AUSTIN DE LAUTER.

fiveice'nts each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

